Eric R. Smith

Representative Matters

Mergers, Acquisitions, and Joint Ventures

• Represented Nemetschek SE in its acquisition of Design Data Corporation
• Represented Legg Mason, Inc. in its sale of 1919 Investment Counsel & Trust Company, N.A., formerly known as Legg Mason Investment Counsel & Trust Company, N.A., to Stifel Financial Corporation
• Represented an acquiring bank in its acquisition and recapitalization of First Mariner Bank
• Represented the majority owners of an NHL franchise and an NBA franchise in the acquisition of the minority owners' interests
• Represented Circuit City in a $290 million tender offer for all outstanding shares of InterTan, Inc.
• Represented a private company in a reverse merger into a public shell and related SEC registration
• Represented AMF Bowling Worldwide in a $670 million leveraged buy-out by a private equity fund• Served as seller's counsel, in a $180 million sale of a minority interest in a private company to an investment bank
• Represented a NASDAQ-listed biotechnology company in a corporate reorganization designed to preserve $380 million in NOLs
• Served as seller's counsel, in a sale to a private equity fund of a majority interest of an IT solutions government contractor with an enterprise value of $61.5 million
• Represented Circuit City in the split-off of CarMax, Inc. as an NYSE-listed corporation with an initial market capitalization in excess of $2 billion
• Served as seller's counsel, in the sale of a government contractor IT firm with an enterprise value of $160 million
• Represented a publicly traded petroleum refiner and marketer in a "going-private" transaction
• Represented a private equity fund in the "going-private" acquisition of a publicly traded resort operator
• Represented a publicly traded defense contractor in the establishment of a joint venture with an Israeli company

Corporate Finance

• Served as issuer's counsel in a $137 million follow-on public common stock offering of an NYSE-listed corporation
• Served as issuer's counsel in an initial public offering and related exchange listing by a real estate investment trust
• Served as issuer's counsel to a real estate investment trust in multiple private placements
• Represented numerous privately owned companies and investors in angel- and venture-backed private placement transactions
• Served as underwriter's counsel in a preferred stock offering by a NASDAQ-listed corporation
• Served as underwriter's counsel in a follow-on common stock offering by a NASDAQ-listed corporation
• Represented a privately owned biotechnology company in a $35 million private offering
• Represented a REIT issuer in a $60 million private capital raise
• Served as issuer's counsel in $200 million, $300 million, and $400 million Senior Notes offerings by an NYSE-listed corporation
• Served as issuer's counsel in a $300 million 144A debt offering and subsequent exchange offer by an NYSE-listed corporation
• Served as issuer's counsel in $1.3 billion and $1.2 billion shelf registrations by an NYSE-listed corporation

Fund Formation and Investment Adviser Compliance

• Represented sponsors of private equity funds, hedge funds, and real estate funds in fund formation and capital raising
• Represented investors in private equity funds, real estate funds, hedge funds, and venture capital funds in initial investment and secondary market transfers of fund interests
• Represented sponsors of private equity funds, real estate funds, and hedge funds regarding investment adviser regulatory compliance under federal and state securities laws
• Represented a real estate trust with investments of more than $3.5 billion in fund organization and capital raising
• Represented investment advisory firms regarding compliance with federal and state securities law 

Education

• LL.M. Securities and Financial Regulations Georgetown University Law Center 1999
• J.D. University of Baltimore School of Law 1997
• B.S. Cornell University 1993

Bar Admissions

• Maryland

Professional Memberships and Activities

• Member, American Bar Association, Committee on Federal Regulation of Securities
• Member, ABA, Committee on Negotiated Acquisitions
• Member, ABA, Committee on Corporate Governance
• Member, Maryland State Bar Association

• The Best Lawyers in America, 2013 – 2024

Volunteerism

• Serves on the board of directors for the First Tee of Baltimore